October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month. Did you know that? We tend to hear more about Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October instead of Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness, so this month is full of fundraising and awareness. As we shed light on pregnancy and infant loss, it’s important to know how you…
Category: stillbirth
An Open Letter – Worthiness Determined
An Open Letter to an Undisclosed Person: Thank you for meeting with me about my displeasure with your organization. I appreciated you taking the time out of your busy day to meet although your heart was not open and we left on the same terms with which we met. At the time, I was utterly…
Naivety vs. Faith in Pregnancy After Loss
I had an immense amount of faith during my pregnancy with G. When G was stillborn, I lost all that faith. I couldn’t understand why this happened and more importantly, why this happened to us. We were devout Catholics. We prayed for this baby. How could God have taken this baby? So when we became…
What is a Bereavement Doula? Glad you asked!
What is a Bereavement Doula? That isn’t even a common question. I have been a birth doula for over 11 years and when I started, most people had no clue what a doula was, nor could they repeat the word. It was usually repeated back as “adoula.” When I began my bereavement doula journey, the…
Helping Someone Through Preg-nancy Loss
Do you know someone who is going through a pregnancy loss? 1 in 4 pregnancies will end in miscarriage and 1 in 160 babies die from stillbirth. This is a very common occurrence during a woman’s childbearing years with very little discussion. You will likely have a friend or family member who will suffer such…
What if doctors changed this in relation to miscarriage and stillbirth?
Many families who experience miscarriage or stillbirth want to have genetic testing done both on themselves and on the baby. They want to know “why” this horrible experience happened. When it comes to miscarriage, many women are told that they must endure three miscarriages before testing will be done. They are rarely given the option to pay for…
My friend had a stillborn baby
I am contacted frequently with the question; my friend had a stillborn baby, what can I do? In addition, the biggest question I am asked is, what do I say or not say? You will find many websites that have great information on what to say and not say, but let me tell you from…
Recipe for Grief Soup
When a family experiences the loss of a child, I make them grief soup. I have blogged about this soup in the past. It is amazing and so healing. I have served this soup though for other types of loss as well, the loss of a mother, the loss of a brother, and the near death…
My Wish For You
The holidays can be such a difficult time for families enduring pregnancy and infant loss. My wish this holiday season is that you will find strength and comfort. May your friends and family offer their shoulder and may they lift you up when you feel you can no longer go on without your child(ren). Even…
Supporting Miscarriage or Stillbirth – Why Training is Essential
WARNING – Graphic details and may not be suitable for all audiences. It takes a special person to be able to assist a family through their miscarriage or stillbirth. This isn’t something the average person can do because it’s so emotional and the family can react in many different ways. Without a full understanding…